MORE TEA - MORE DRONES

Yaroslav Vedmid - Creative Idea / Strategist Olga Mykhalets - Creative Producer Iryna Pavlova - Art Director Mariia Pustovit - Project Manager Hanna Savchuk - Account Director Yegor Kadomtsev - Director / Editor Ilya Rieznikov - Director of Photography Igor Bondarenko - Sound Designer

BACKGROUND Due to the ongoing war and frequent missile attacks, Ukrainian airspace is closed, making national railways the main mode of transportation for Ukrainians. Apart from its primary duties and evacuation efforts, Ukrainian Railways aimed to further assist the Armed Forces and contribute to achieving victory. Ukrainian Railways partnered up with the Army of Drones and wanted to create a fundraiser to collect money to buy drones. In Ukraine, the culture of donations has greatly increased, with individuals launching their own fundraisers, so the challenge was to differentiate. IDEA It’s a tradition in Ukraine to order and enjoy tea while traveling by train. Our concept was to integrate donations into this railway tea ritual: the more tea consumed, the more drones for the Army. Instead of requesting separate donations, we incorporated a model where 27% of tea sales directly support the Army of Drones. This approach seamlessly aligns with the audience's existing behaviors, avoiding the need to introduce new donation practices. EXECUTION We partnered with a tea brand Gemini and introduced two new tea blends: "Combat Tea" and "Intelligence Tea," reflecting the functions of drones. Each tea had a unique flavor, one was popular among customers' taste Earl Grey and another one of Crimean Herbs, resonating with our audience. To enhance the experience, we added a sea battle game on the tea labels, providing entertainment while the tea cooled. To promote the campaign, we enlisted famous local comedians for our videos. Operating on a zero-promotion budget, we relied on train attendants as our primary promoters. They were equipped with scripted announcements and received training from our managers.  Scripts of announcements were prepared and training was conducted for train managers. Teams aboard record-breaking trains were awarded for their efforts. RESULTS Passengers were so impressed by the exceptional conduct of the train attendants that they began sharing videos and short stories featuring them, leading to viral fame on social media with millions of views. The campaign's success was evident in the sale of 507 thousand tea cups, resulting in the raising of 3.2 million UAH. With these funds, 62 FPV drones were purchased and delivered to the frontline. The trains departing from Kharkiv and Dnipro emerged as champions in sales, further highlighting the impact of the campaign.